Improved mode of driving piles



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICEo JOHN MGCLAY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND J. W. BLISS, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVED MODE OF DRIVING PILES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,586, dated June 12, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, J OHN MGCLAY, of the city and county of Hartford, and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Driving` Piles; and to enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation by referring to the drawings, in which the same letters indicate like parts in each of the tigures, the nature of which will be understood from the specification and drawings.

The object desired to be attained thereby is to keep up a continuous succession of blows of the hammer (or nearly so) from the commencement of itsaction until the pile is driven the desired depth, and at the same time hold the upper end of the pile directly under the action of the hammer.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation, showing` the frame or guideways of a pile-driving machine. Fig. 2 is a top view of this improvement.

t is a block which represents the ground into which the pile is to be driven.

b are the guideways between which the hammer A is arranged and guided in its motion to eXert its power upon the upper end of the pile in the usual way.

c is the pile, placed in a perpendicular position between the guideways bin the usual way.

Now, in the ordinary way of holding the pile in its proper place and position it has been the practice to arrange and secure staples at proper intervals in the guideways 0, to receive the ends of cross-bars, wedges, Ste., by means of which the pile is held, and not unfrequently they require readjustment, and often require to be resecured after each blow of the hammer, and even then not unfrequently it will work itself out of the range of the hammer.

In order to avoid this inconvenience and great loss of time, I have conceived the idea that a yoke or clasp may be made of wood or metal so as to clasp the pile just below its upper end, and at the same time have their ends project a short distance on each side ot' the guideways b, thus not only holding the pile in its proper or true position under the hammer, but it also steadies and prevents in a great measure the shake or tremble thereof.

(l is the yoke or clasp, made in two parts, and of various sizes, if required, and of halfcircle or other desirable shape, so as to iirmly gripe the pile by means ot bolts e and nuts t, or their equivalents. These bolts e are designed to be so placed through the yoke cl that they will ride against the sides of the ways b and serve to guide the sidewise position of the pile c.

The nuts i ot' the bolts c may be provided with shanks lo and handles n, for the purpose of turning up or loosening the nuts without the necessity of a wrench.

Each part of these clasps is made of such length as to project a short distance each side of the guideways, and thus secure the pile in its true position under the hammer.

In this way, or by the use of this yoke or clasp, secured near the upper end of the pile, the hammer set in motion, the blows therefrom may be repeated continuously until the pile is driven to its desired depth.

lbelievelhave thus shown the nature, construction, and advantage of this improvement, so as to enable others skilled to make and use the same therefrom.

I claim- The yoke or clamp el, constructed as described, and operating as set forth.

' JOHN MOCLAY. [L. sj

Vitnesses:

DANIEL BUCK, SAME. G. PARSONS. 

